Travel Planning

Here are some of the resources I use to get the best travel deals out there:

• sidestep.com – This is a great travel aggregator that pulls in information from several different sources. I primarily use it for looking up the best/cheapest airfares. One down side is you cannot input “child” as an option when doing the search. (Many times, children get lower fares than adults.) Also, sign up for their free weekly newsletter. This is a great way to find out about specific deals.

• shermanstravel.com – I don’t so much use this website, but I love getting their weekly email of the top 25 travel deals. This is also a great way to find out about specific trips and can be a starting off point for your travel planning.

Once I find out the general date and place we’re targeting, I then break it down into the best deal and the most convenience for our family. Many times, going directly to the airline’s website will get you the best price for your airfare, but the research on the travel aggregators will help you determine which websites to use for purchases.

Another thing to consider, is what will work best for your family. For example, we are traveling to Sweden in August – (I found a great deal!) Through my research on sidestep.com, I determined that August was a great time to travel to Stockholm (who knew?) Brad and I decided that instead of flying from our hometown in Central Illinois (which would be luxuriously convenient), we opted for flying direct from Chicago. There are two reasons for this decision; it’s cheaper, but more importantly, we are taking our 4 year old twin sons with us and feel a direct flight will be easiest on them, and therefore, on us as well. We also chose an airline that caters to families, SAS. When taking an 8 – 9 hour flight with 4 year old boys, it’s important to have things available to keep them happy. SAS provides a seat-back screen at every seat (even coach!), video games and child friendly meals. They also seem to have decent vegetarian options – but I’ll have to report back on that after the trip!

For hotel options, I feel the best way to go is a bundled trip that includes airfare, hotel and if applicable, ground transportation. We’ve done this before, but for our upcoming trip to Sweden, I wanted to make sure we had a hotel that catered to families and was conveniently located. After checking Frommers.com (which is another valuable resource) and googling hotels in Stockholm, I found a great, reasonably priced hotel that was family friendly. In fact, they have a children’s play area within the hotel and each child receives a surprise gift when you check in. By going directly to the hotel’s website, joining their frequent guest program, and using the early saver rate, I feel I received a great price for our 9 night stay. (Again, I’ll provide a full report on the room once we return.)

In summary, with a little online checking, you can find great deals that fit your needs. You don’t have to have a travel agent or join a tour group. Independent travel is easy, affordable and provides a lot of options. Go plan a trip!

A Sense of Place

I’ve always been fan of travel writing. Sometimes funny, sometimes scholarly, but nearly always illuminating. ‘A Sense of Place‘ by Michael Shapiro is a collection of interviews Shapiro had with some of the most prominent travel writers in the world, Jan Morris, Pico Iyer, Simon Winchester and others, providing insight into the craft of travel writing. He speaks with the authors about their motivations and their opinions, and what they have learned after a lifetime on the road.

Paget Parish

Near Fort St. Catherines

Paget Parish 2

Broadway Main Street The Cotswolds

Stanton – The Cotswolds

Broadway – The Cotswolds England

Each morning Jenni and I would carefully walk across the pastures over to Broadway to get our breakfast or groceries. This is the view from Broadway Cottage, where we were staying.

Warwick Castle – Warwickshire England

You Can Take it With You

There’s nothing worse than getting stuck in an airport or on a plane with nothing to eat. On my last trip I decided to pack a lunch. I’d done this before but this time I used the new lunch boxes Jenni bought for the boys. They’re called Bento boxes. They’re very clever little boxes that keep all your food in neat little compartments. They’re nice and slim so they fit into your carry on or backpack and they have a cold pack you can stick in the pocket of the carrier.The food will only keep so long, but it definitely allows you to take a wider range of veggie friendly snacks along for the ride. Plus, you can pack it up again before you leave for home.